Trayvon Martinhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/trayvon-martin
en-usTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:09:17 -0400Tue, 31 Mar 2015 18:09:17 -0400The latest news on Trayvon Martin from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-was-just-arrested-in-florida-for-assault-2015-1George Zimmerman Was Just Arrested In Florida For Assaulthttp://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-was-just-arrested-in-florida-for-assault-2015-1
Sat, 10 Jan 2015 08:46:00 -0500
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/54b12be3eab8ea2039db5309-600-/george-zimmerman-mugshot-large-3.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman mugshot large" width="600"></p><p>SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities say George Zimmerman has been arrested on an aggravated assault charge.</p>
<p>The Seminole County Sheriff's Office says the 31-year-old Zimmerman was arrested in Lake Mary about 10 p.m. Friday and is being held at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility. The facility's website says Zimmerman is scheduled for a court appearance at 9 a.m. Saturday.</p>
<p>No further details were released. A message seeking further information was left Saturday morning by The Associated Press with Seminole County Sheriff officials.</p>
<p>Zimmerman was acquitted in 2013 of a second-degree murder charge for shooting an unarmed teenager.</p>
<div class="nc_footer">
<p>Copyright (2015) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This article was from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.</p>
<p><img class="nc_pixel" src="https://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT1iNGE3YzU5NzhjNThlOTBmZWU4NWFmMWY5ZGM2ZDI4MiZwdWJsaXNoZXI9NzMwZWI4NmFiNTlmMGQ0MTkyNmFjNjViMDFmODNlMmY=" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1"></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-was-just-arrested-in-florida-for-assault-2015-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/profile-of-george-zimmermans-family-in-gq-2014-9George Zimmerman's Family Has Adopted CIA-Like Protocols To Stay In Hidinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/profile-of-george-zimmermans-family-in-gq-2014-9
Tue, 30 Sep 2014 15:47:00 -0400Pamela Engel
<p><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/542b02b46da811433dd146a0-800-/george-zimmerman-family.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman family" width="800"></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">More than one year after the not-guilty verdict, George Zimmerman's immediate family is still holed up in a safe house in central Florida. They are so paranoid they've adopted CIA-level protocols to avoid being recognized, </span><a href="http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201410/george-zimmerman-family-values?currentPage=2">according to</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> a new profile of the family in GQ.</span></p>
<p>Not even trusted members of the extended family know where the house is located. The notorious neighborhood watchman's parents and siblings expect to never feel safe again.</p>
<p>Zimmerman became one of the most hated men in America after he shot and killed an unarmed black teenager named Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012. He argued that it was self-defense, and a jury found him not guilty of murder last year.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>Bob Zimmerman, the family patriarch, found the 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom house on Craigslist in a neighborhood where most of the houses fell victim to foreclosures.&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The family's safe house, which Zimmerman himself does not live in, seems like a step down from his parents' previous home, which they abandoned out of fear that they'd be the targets of violence.</span></p>
<p>From the story:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">There, the family formalized new security protocols. They watched the movie&nbsp;Argo&nbsp;to learn how to live like CIA. Code names for everyone. No mail delivered to the house. No visitors. No talking to the few neighbors they had. No long phone conversations — keep it short and vague to outwit surveillance. Never discuss your whereabouts via phone or text. Keep a weapon close by at all times. Robert slept with his gun. Still does.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">And in case someone — or multiple someones — decided to mount an attack on the house, the Zimmermans pre-packed their own "go-bags" filled with everything they would need to flee in a rush, as well as what they called "footballs" — like the one President Obama has with the nuclear codes — that contained laptops, cell phones, and other essential electronics.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">They also memorized a color-coded threat-ID system. Code blue: Law enforcement at the door. Code brown: Draw your weapons. Code black: Come out guns blazing.</p>
<p>GQ's story gives an unprecedented look at how the case and subsequent verdict has affected the Zimmerman family. Zimmerman's younger brother Robert seems to revel in all the media attention that has come his way since he became the de facto family spokesperson. Zimmerman's parents, on the other hand, seem worn-down and bitter.</p>
<p>Amanda Robb writes in GQ: "They were eager for the world to see them as they see themselves: ignored, unmourned victims. Collateral damage of an incident for which — to be clear — they still do not consider George responsible."</p>
<p>The whole profile is worth a read.</p>
<h3><a href="http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201410/george-zimmerman-family-values?currentPage=2">Read GQ's full story here &gt;</a></h3><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/profile-of-george-zimmermans-family-in-gq-2014-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/florida-lawmakers-stand-your-ground-law-doesnt-allow-vigilantism-2014-3Florida Lawmakers: Stand-Your-Ground Law Doesn't Allow 'Vigilantism'http://www.businessinsider.com/florida-lawmakers-stand-your-ground-law-doesnt-allow-vigilantism-2014-3
Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:27:43 -0400Bill Cotterell
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5327929aeab8ea484da0614c-480-/beezy-dinkins-24-of-st-petersburg-florida-holds-a-sign-as-he-demonstrates-outside-seminole-county-court-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Beezy Dinkins, 24, of St. Petersburg, Florida, holds a sign as he demonstrates outside Seminole County Court." width="480" /></p><p>MIAMI (Reuters) - A legislative committee took a major step toward clarifying&nbsp;Florida's hotly debated 'stand your ground' self-defense law on Monday, approving some restrictions on its use and clarifying that the statute does not permit 'vigilantism' by neighborhood watch activists.</p>
<p>The compromise deal between supporters of the original 2005 statute and critics who want the law repealed, provides that no-one who initiates a violent confrontation may claim protection under the law.</p>
<p>It also requires police to set forth rules for neighborhood watch groups, specifically providing that patrol volunteers may only notify police about suspicious persons and not pursue or confront them.</p>
<p>The proposal resulted from the acquittal last year of&nbsp;George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in&nbsp;central Florida&nbsp;who shot an unarmed black teenager,&nbsp;Trayvon Martin, to death. Zimmerman did not claim pre-trial immunity from prosecution under the 'stand your ground' self-defense clause, but the law allowing use of deadly force in situations of reasonable fear of injury was read to the jury in final instructions, creating confusion in the minds of some jurors.</p>
<p>"This law is not about the convenience of the courts, it is not about the convenience of the prosecutors and it is not about the convenience of law enforcement,"&nbsp;Marion Hammer, a former two-term president of the&nbsp;National Rifle Association, told the&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;Criminal Justice Committee.</p>
<p>"It is about protecting innocent people. The law is not intended to punish you for fighting back."</p>
<p>A House criminal justice panel has already rejected outright repeal of the law. The compromise was worked out between state Senator&nbsp;David Simmons, a Republican from&nbsp;Altamonte Springs&nbsp;who wrote the 2005 statute, and Senator&nbsp;Chris Smith, a&nbsp;Fort Lauderdale&nbsp;Democrat who wants the law repealed.</p>
<p>Simmons and Smith worked with prosecutors, public defenders and police agencies to tighten the law in response to the public furor over the Zimmerman verdict, which included a 31-day sit-in at the State Capitol last summer by a group called "Dream Defenders."</p>
<p>The new proposal also clarifies that a person shooting in self-defense will not be immune from civil suits by any innocent bystanders who are hurt. It also shifts the burden of proof from the defense to the prosecution in pre-trial hearings on use of the 'stand your ground' defense.</p>
<p>The bill spells out that guidelines issued by county sheriffs and city police must provide that crime-watch participants are barred "from confronting or attempting to apprehend a person suspected of improper or unlawful activity."</p>
<p>The volunteers could, however, intervene to rescue a person in danger or call out to warn off an assailant.</p>
<p>In the&nbsp;Trayvon Martin&nbsp;case, Zimmerman left his vehicle against the advice of a police dispatcher and pursued the youth, who was walking from a convenience store on a rainy night to the home where he staying in a gated community.</p>
<p>The&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;law more recently came under attack in the trial of&nbsp;Michael Dunn, who killed&nbsp;north Florida&nbsp;teenager Jordan Davis&nbsp;in a confrontation over loud rap music blasting from a car Davis and three other young black men were sitting in at a&nbsp;Jacksonville&nbsp;gas station.</p>
<p>Dunn, who said he thought he saw a shotgun or rifle barrel in the car, was convicted of three counts of attempted murder but his jury was unable to decide the murder count.</p>
<p>"Jordan Davis&nbsp;was minding his own business," said Senator&nbsp;Audrey Gibson, a&nbsp;Jacksonville&nbsp;Democrat who voted for the compromise but would prefer to repeal the law. "Trayvon Martin&nbsp;was minding his own business."</p>
<p>The&nbsp;Senate&nbsp;bill also provides a statement of "legislative intent," stating that the stand your ground law "is not intended to encourage vigilantism or acts of revenge, authorize the initiation of a confrontation as a pretext to respond with deadly force, or negate a duty to retreat for persons engaged in unlawful mutual combat."</p>
<p>The package now goes to the&nbsp;Senate Community Affairs Committee, then to the&nbsp;Rules Committee&nbsp;for scheduling of floor debate but the backing of the NRA gives it a strong chance of success.</p>
<p>(Editing by David Adams and James Dalgleish)</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/florida-lawmakers-stand-your-ground-law-doesnt-allow-vigilantism-2014-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-cnn-interview-obama-scapegoat-2014-2GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: I Was A 'Scapegoat' For Obama And The Governmenthttp://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-cnn-interview-obama-scapegoat-2014-2
Mon, 17 Feb 2014 12:21:00 -0500Brett LoGiurato
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/530243b26da8116950896aed-947-710/george-zimmerman-cnn.png" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman CNN" /></p><p>Seven months after a Florida jury <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obamas-statement-on-george-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7" target="_blank">acquitted him of&nbsp;second-degree murder and manslaughter charges</a> in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman said that he's been made a "scapegoat" by the government and wouldn't say if he regretted Martin's death.</p>
<p>Zimmerman told CNN's Chris Cuomo that he acted in self-defense when he shot Martin in 2012. What happened thereafter, he said, turned him into a<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;"scapegoat" for "the government, the president, the attorney general."</span></p>
<p>"And they would be scapegoating you, why?" Cuomo said. "Just to show that they're taking a position on something that matters to a lot of people?"</p>
<p>"I don&rsquo;t like others speaking for me, so I try to give other people the benefit and not speak for them," Zimmerman said in response. "I don&rsquo;t know what they&rsquo;re thinking or why they&rsquo;re thinking it, all I know is that they&rsquo;re doing it. I don&rsquo;t know what agenda they have."</p>
<p><span>The interview on CNN's "New Day" aired a day after Zimmerman told&nbsp;</span><a href="http://noticias.univision.com/article/1853556/2014-02-16/estados-unidos/noticias/george-zimmerman-creo-que-me-van-a-perseguir-toda-mi-vida" title="http://noticias.univision.com/article/1853556/2014-02-16/estados-unidos/noticias/george-zimmerman-creo-que-me-van-a-perseguir-toda-mi-vida">Univision</a><span>&nbsp;that he is unemployed, homeless, and that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.</span></p>
<p><span>It has been nearly two years since Zimmerman, a former "neighborhood watch" volunteer, killed the 17-year-old Martin in a case that touched off a national debate on "Stand Your Ground" laws.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>President Barack Obama spoke out multiple times about the case. Days after the verdict was handed down, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-trayvon-martin-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7#ixzz2tbHZmU2Q" target="_blank">Obama reflected</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-trayvon-martin-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7#ixzz2tbHZmU2Q" target="_blank">&nbsp;on comments he made in 2012</a>, when he said that Trayvon Martin could have been his son.</span></p>
<p class="p1">"Another way of saying that is, Trayvon Martin could've been me, 35 years ago," Obama said.</p>
<p class="p1">Zimmerman&nbsp;<span>told CNN that he wants to become an attorney. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span>"I think that&rsquo;s the&nbsp;</span><span class="il">best</span><span>&nbsp;</span><span class="il">way&nbsp;</span><span>to stop the miscarriage of justice that happened to me from happening to somebody else," he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it should happen to anyone ever again &mdash; not one person."&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>The full interview is below:</p>
<p><iframe width="416" height="234" frameborder="0" src="http://www.cnn.com/video/api/embed.html#/video/bestoftv/2014/02/17/george-zimmerman-interview-part-1-newday.cnn"></iframe></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-cnn-interview-obama-scapegoat-2014-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-omara-hit-with-ethics-complaint-over-trayvon-martin-case-2013-12George Zimmerman's Attorney Hit With Ethics Complaint Over Trayvon Martin Casehttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-omara-hit-with-ethics-complaint-over-trayvon-martin-case-2013-12
Mon, 16 Dec 2013 14:26:14 -0500Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52af530c69bedd887743dd69-480-/mark-omara-3.jpg" border="0" alt="Mark O'Mara" width="480" /></p><p>The man who helped get George Zimmerman get acquitted of murder is now facing an unspecified ethics complaint for how he handled the case, the Orlando Sentinel <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-omara-complaint-20131216,0,3523757.story">reports</a>.</p>
<p>The Florida Bar told the newspaper that its staff is investigating a complaint against defense attorney Mark O'Mara. It's unclear whether O'Mara is facing possible discipline.</p>
<p>Zimmerman was acquitted of the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin in July. Since the case ended, O'Mara has publicly distanced himself from Zimmerman, the Sentinel reports.</p>
<p>After Zimmerman had two run-ins with police related to domestic disputes, O'Mara announced that he would not be representing him if any charges were filed.</p>
<p>O'Mara was not paid for his work on the Zimmerman case. A defense fund helped with some of the legal expenses of the trial, but after the acquittal O'Mara <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lawyer-i-hope-george-zimmerman-has-the-money-to-pay-us-someday-2013-7">told The View that he had not been paid a cent</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-omara-hit-with-ethics-complaint-over-trayvon-martin-case-2013-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-stand-your-ground-case-questions-what-qualifies-as-legitimate-threat-2013-11'Stand Your Ground' Law Will Be Tested In Georgia After Man Shoots Wandering Alzheimer's Patienthttp://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-stand-your-ground-case-questions-what-qualifies-as-legitimate-threat-2013-11
Fri, 29 Nov 2013 12:59:00 -0500Patrik Jonsson
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5298d471eab8ea854bd21785-1200-924/rtx11lfe.jpg" border="0" alt="Beezy Dinkins, 24, of St. Petersburg, Florida, holds a sign as he demonstrates outside Seminole County Court." /></p><p>State and local prosecutors are reviewing whether&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Georgia" target="_self" title="Title: Georgia" rel="nofollow">Georgia</a>'s "stand your ground" law applies in the tragic case of a man who shot and killed a wandering man diagnosed with Alzheimer&rsquo;s in the Lookout Mountain region.</p>
<p>Given the dynamics of the shooting, the case could become part of a national prodding around the laws, which were quickly enacted in more than 20 states, including Georgia, after&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Florida" target="_self" title="Title: Florida" rel="nofollow">Florida</a>&nbsp;pioneered the concept in 2005.</p>
<p>The laws, which hold that armed citizens have to make no attempt to retreat before shooting at a perceived threat, came into the national spotlight in 2012, after the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, by a neighborhood watch captain&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/George+Zimmerman" target="_self" title="Title: George Zimmerman" rel="nofollow">George Zimmerman</a>. Mr. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder in July after a furious national debate over whether race plays into the new breed of self-defense laws.</p>
<div>
<p><strong>RECOMMENDED:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/1104/How-much-do-you-know-about-the-Second-Amendment-A-quiz">How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.</a></strong></p>
</div>
<p>Since then, a number of prominent groups and people, including Trayvon&rsquo;s parents and even President Obama, have urged lawmakers to reconsider the laws. Critics say stand-your-ground laws dangerously change social dynamics by making it more difficult for prosecutors to charge people who claim self-defense under dubious circumstances.</p>
<p>So far, some studies have suggested the laws have played a role in decreasing crime rates, while other research has shown adopting states have seen noticeable increases in gunshot-related hospital visits. Studies have also yielded contradictory results about whether white or black males are most affected.</p>
<p>The incident in Georgia adds a new twist to the examination of the laws, focusing not on race, but on what kinds of actions qualify as a legitimate threat. During a 2007 symposium by the National District Attorneys Association, concerns were raised that touch on what happened on Wednesday in Georgia: namely, that misinterpretation of clues by an armed person could lead to deadly force being used even when there is no real danger.</p>
<div>
<p><strong>GO DEEPER:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/0806/Racial-bias-and-stand-your-ground-laws-what-the-data-show" target="_blank">What the data show about racial bias and 'stand your ground'</a></strong></p>
</div>
<p>For now, the state has not filed any charges against Joe Hendrix, who admits to shooting a 70-something man early Wednesday morning. The man was wearing a light coat and a straw hat in near-20 degree weather when he knocked on Mr. Hendrix&rsquo;s door at 4 in the morning.</p>
<p>After Hendrix&rsquo;s girlfriend called police, Hendrix retrieved his handgun and walked into his backyard, where he says he saw the other man in silhouette. After the man didn&rsquo;t respond to several verbal commands and began walking toward him, Hendrix shot him four times, once fatally.</p>
<p>"In my personal opinion, I believe that [Hendrix] should have stayed inside the house," Walker County Sheriff&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Steve+Wilson" target="_self" title="Title: Steve Wilson" rel="nofollow">Steve Wilson</a>&nbsp;told the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Chattanooga" target="_self" title="Title: Chattanooga" rel="nofollow">Chattanooga</a>, Tenn., Times Free Press. "Did he violate any laws by exiting the house? No."</p>
<p>"Mr. Hendrix is clearly saddened and heartbroken," the sheriff said. "Mr. Hendrix has to live with his actions for the rest of his life."</p>
<p>Ronald Westbrook, the slain man, was clutching a sheaf of mail when police found his body. According to family, Mr. Westbrook had been suffering for two years from Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease, a condition that affects memory and reasoning. He had been walking in the cold for four hours with his dog before he approached the home, perhaps drawn by a lit porch light, police said.</p>
<p>The incident came amid an ongoing debate over the conviction of Marissa Alexander, a black Florida mom sentenced under mandatory rules to 20 years in jail for firing a warning shot in what she said was self-defense. This week, Ms. Alexander was released on bond after a judge ordered a retrial of her case, saying the original judge gave a jury faulty information about the stand-your-ground concept.</p>
<p>Critics have claimed that Alexander&rsquo;s race played a role in the conviction, especially in light of the jury verdict in the Zimmerman trial, where six female jurors came to the conclusion that he acted lawfully when he killed Trayvon after pursuing the innocent teenager, thinking he was a burglar. Zimmerman said he shot Trayvon after taking a beating from the teenager.</p>
<p>Prosecutors have maintained the Alexander conviction was correct, since they say the mom had a chance to leave the premises, but instead actually returned with a gun and pointed it at her husband and children.</p>
<p>Prosecutors say that the shot could have killed or injured the husband and children if fragments had ricocheted in their direction. Alexander said her husband had been acting abusively, and she feared for her own life.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, in Georgia's Walker County, the investigation continues into whether Hendrix committed a crime when he shot Westbrook, or whether it was a legitimate self-defense situation.</p>
<p>Sheriff Wilson said it&rsquo;s a tough case because he knew Westbrook personally. At the same time, he told reporters that Hendrix and his girlfriend plainly felt threatened.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We feel like at this point that we should proceed cautiously and with an open mind and let the evidence and the law take its place," Wilson told WRCB-TV in Chattanooga.</p>
<p>Earlier this month, the Rainbow PUSH coalition, headed by civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia for what it alleges are uneven interpretations of the stand-your-ground law.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-stand-your-ground-case-questions-what-qualifies-as-legitimate-threat-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-reportedly-arrested-after-domestic-dispute-2013-11George Zimmerman Charged With Assault And Battery After Domestic Disputehttp://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-reportedly-arrested-after-domestic-dispute-2013-11
Mon, 18 Nov 2013 17:13:00 -0500Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/528a6ee36da8119c4df098b7-384-480/george%20zimmerman%20mugshot-1.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman mugshot" /></p><p>Multiple Florida news outlets <a href="http://www.wesh.com/trayvon-martin-extended-coverage/george-zimmerman-arrested-for-domestic-violence/-/14266478/23030620/-/mum7eh/-/index.html?absolute=true">are reporting</a> that George Zimmerman has been arrested following a domestic dispute involving his "girlfriend."</p>
<p>Zimmerman has been taken to jail and booked, according to <a href="http://www.bnowire.com/inbox/?id=2084">a press release</a> from the Seminole County sheriff's office. He's being held without bail, police said at a press conference.</p>
<p>Police have charged Zimmerman with aggravated assault, battery, and domestic violence.</p>
<p>The Orlando Sentinel&nbsp;<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-arrested-20131118,0,1837318.story">reports</a>&nbsp;that the dispute took place in the part of town where Zimmerman's new girlfriend lives. Zimmerman reportedly shares the home with her.</p>
<p>Her house is in Apopka, about 15 miles from Orlando,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/authorities-called-disturbance-involving-george-zi/nbwzk/">according to</a>&nbsp;WFTV.</p>
<p>During the dispute, Zimmerman reportedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend. Police said they witnessed a broken table when they arrived at the home, which they believe she is renting.</p>
<p>His girlfriend had no visible injuries, according to police. No one else was at the home when the dispute happened.</p>
<p>Zimmerman was acquitted in July of the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.</p>
<p>This isn't the first time since his stunning acquittal that Zimmerman has had a run-in with the law. He's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/is-george-zimmerman-like-oj-simpson-2013-9">drawn comparisons to O.J. Simpson</a> for his antics after his highly publicized trial.</p>
<p>In September, Zimmerman's estranged wife Shellie <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-reportedly-in-custody-over-gun-incident-2013-9">called the cops on him</a> claiming he assaulted her father and threatened her. She and her father decided not to prosecute.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Zimmerman also attracted attention for getting two speeding tickets and taking a private tour of the gun manufacturer that made the weapon he used to kill Martin.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-reportedly-arrested-after-domestic-dispute-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/law-and-orders-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-episode-2013-10Here's How Law & Order SVU Combined Trayvon Martin, Paula Deen, And Stop-And-Frisk Into One Crazy Episodehttp://www.businessinsider.com/law-and-orders-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-episode-2013-10
Tue, 08 Oct 2013 16:29:56 -0400Pamela Engel
<p>Law &amp; Order: SVU managed to combine the Trayvon Martin shooting, the Paula Deen racism scandal, and New York City's stop-and-frisk controversy into one crazy episode that aired last week.</p>
<p>The episode follows a famous Southern TV chef who shoots a black, unarmed, hoodie-wearing teenager as she's walking home to her Upper West Side apartment.</p>
<p>Despite a disclaimer noting that the episode is "fictional" and "does not depict any actual person or event," the inspiration behind it is pretty obvious.</p>
<h3>The full episode <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/540451#i0,p0,s15,d0">is available on Hulu</a>.&nbsp;We've compiled the best parts below.</h3>
<p>At the beginning of the episode, the Special Victims Unit detectives interview women who have recently been raped in separate attacks on the Upper West side.</p>
<p>The two women describe their attacker: black, about 6 feet tall, wearing a hoodie and baseball cap. The rapist told the women &nbsp;he had a gun and he said "You know you want it."</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5254430beab8eadf184aa518-800-/law-and-order-svu-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-1.png" border="0" alt="Law &amp; Order SVU Trayvon Martin Paula Deen" width="800" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Detective Olivia Benson tells the team to "stop and frisk 'til we get this guy." New York's stop-and-frisk policy&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mayor-bloomberg-stop-and-frisk-has-made-new-york-city-the-safest-city-in-america-2013-8">has been controversial</a>&nbsp;because of possible racial profiling.</span></p>
<p>News of the possible serial rapist on the Upper West Side reaches&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Jolene Castille, a famous Southern chef who has TV cooking shows. She's walking back to her apartment when she notices someone following her.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52544501ecad048c74e390c2-1200-924/law-and-order-svu-trayvon-martin-paula-deen.jpg" border="0" alt="Law &amp; Order SVU Trayvon Martin Paula Deen" width="800" /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">She shoots the guy when he attempts to follow her to the door of her apartment. It turns out that the person Castille thought was an intimidating man was actually 16-year-old </span>Mehcad Carter,<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;walking home from playing basketball with his friends. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Castille tells the police that he lunged at her and that she thought he had a gun because he had his hand in his pocket.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The boy's parents are understandably upset when they find out how he died, and police eventually find and arrest the real Upper West Side rapist.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The calls for Castille's arrest begin, but she continues to justify her actions as self-defense, while making racist comments like "You think just because you caught a black rapist, he's the only one?" She also tells a detective from Georgia that if they were "down home" Catille would be "getting a medal" for what she did.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/525446f469bedd7b3f22cfb0-1200-924/law-and-order-svu-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-2.png" border="0" alt="Law &amp; Order SVU Trayvon Martin Paula Deen" width="800" /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The media frenzy begins. Castille is labeled the "ragin' Cajun" and <span>Detective</span><span>&nbsp;Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (also known as Ice-T)</span>&nbsp;questions whether the incident was self-defense or a hate crime.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">In court, more details come out that make it obvious this episode is modeled off of the Paula Deen scandal and George Zimmerman trial.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Protestors gather outside the courtroom before Castille's trial.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5254483beab8ea90204aa51a-1200-924/law-and-order-svu-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-3.png" border="0" alt="Law &amp; Order SVU Trayvon Martin Paula Deen" width="800" /></span></p>
<p>Mehcad's mother notes that when he left home, all he had was his cellphone and some bubble gum (similar to Trayvon's cellphone and Skittles), and prosecutors find out about a civil suit brought by several black kitchen employees who worked in one of Castille's restaurants (similar to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-craziest-quotes-from-the-paula-deen-deposition-2013-6">a suit brought against Paula Deen</a> that alleged racism in her Georgia restaurant).</p>
<p>Prosecutors obtain a disposition that Castille gave as part of the lawsuit in which she refers to her black employees as "field hands." Castille justified it by saying that it was just a heated exchange that was laughed off later.</p>
<p>Finally, Castille makes an explosive statement that sums up what many people thought was in Zimmerman's head the night he followed and shot Trayvon: "If it was a white boy, I wouldn't have been afraid."</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52544c6669beddfc4622cfb8-1200-924/law-and-order-svu-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-4.png" border="0" alt="Law &amp; Order SVU Trayvon Martin Paula Deen" width="800" /></p>
<p>Castille is acquitted, just like Zimmerman. Her lawyer makes the point that the police were racially profiling when they stopped and frisked young black men while they were trying to find the rapist, and that Castille was simply doing the same thing &mdash; watching out for men who matched the description of the suspect.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/law-and-orders-trayvon-martin-paula-deen-episode-2013-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/shellie-zimmermans-doubts-about-husbands-innocence-2013-9George Zimmerman's Wife Now Says She Doubts Her Husband's Innocence http://www.businessinsider.com/shellie-zimmermans-doubts-about-husbands-innocence-2013-9
Thu, 26 Sep 2013 11:23:23 -0400Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/524450daecad04e60a4a8dc5-480-/shellie-zimmerman-today-show-2.png" border="0" alt="Shellie Zimmerman Today show" width="480" /></p><p>In <a href="http://www.today.com/news/george-zimmermans-wife-i-have-doubts-i-also-believe-evidence-8C11257699">a new interview with the "Today" show</a> that comes after a domestic altercation with her soon-to-be ex-husband, George Zimmerman's wife reveals new doubts about his innocence in the Trayvon Martin killing.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Shellie Zimmerman said her <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-reportedly-in-custody-over-gun-incident-2013-9">highly public fight</a> with George earlier this month &mdash; during which he allegedly threatened her and assaulted her father &mdash; </span>helped her "take the blinders off and start to see things differently."</p>
<p>When "Today" show host Matt Lauer asked her if she was having any doubts about George's innocence, she replied: "I think anyone would doubt that innocence because I don't know the person that I've been married to. I have doubts, but I also believe the evidence."</p>
<p>She might doubt whether George was really acting in self-defense the night he shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida, but she still insists that George did not profile the black teenager.</p>
<p>It's worth noting that Shellie <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shellie-zimmerman-reportedly-files-for-divorce-2013-9">is divorcing George</a> after standing by his side throughout the trial and insisting that she believed he was innocent. She acknowledges in the "Today" show interview that she has credibility issues, but says she wants to tell the truth from here on out.</p>
<p>Watch the full interview below:</p>
<p><object id="msnbc7ad574" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0" width="420" height="245"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=53111307&amp;width=420&amp;height=245" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbc7ad574" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" flashvars="launch=53111307&amp;width=420&amp;height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="245" width="420" /></object></p>
<p style="font-size: 11px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit NBCNews.com for <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072">news about the economy</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shellie-zimmermans-doubts-about-husbands-innocence-2013-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-at-kel-tech-2013-8REPORT: George Zimmerman Goes On Private Gun Factory Tourhttp://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-at-kel-tech-2013-8
Fri, 23 Aug 2013 12:29:03 -0400Christina Sterbenz and Brian Jones
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51e3f70eeab8ea7f61000000-480-/george-zimmerman-not-guilty-verdict.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman not guilty verdict" width="480" /></p><p>George Zimmerman reportedly took a private tour Thursday of the Kel-Tec gun factory in Cocoa, Fla. &mdash; the same company that made the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was allegedly there asking about one of its shotguns, <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2013/08/22/george-zimmerman-shotgun-kel-tec-trayvon-martin-shop-gun/">TMZ reports. </a></p>
<p>The media latched onto Zimmerman, 29, during his second-degree murder trial for shooting and killing Florida teen Trayvon Martin. The jury acquitted him of all charges.</p>
<p>The owner's son took Zimmerman on a tour of the assembly plant at Kel-Tec, TMZ reported. Zimmerman was reportedly asking about the legality of purchasing a Kel-Tec KSG &mdash; a pump-action tactical shotgun with an unusually large capacity. It "holds an impressive 12 rounds of 12 gauge 3&rdquo; rounds in total (6 per tube)," according to the <a href="http://www.keltecweapons.com/our-guns/shotguns/ksg/">product description.</a> It's also as "compact as legally possible" &mdash; and at 6.9 llbs. empty and 8.5 fully loaded, lighter than an M16.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, right on Kel-Tech's <a href="http://www.keltecweapons.com/faq/#nul">FAQs</a> page, it addresses whether customers can tour the factory or test guns there. They can't.</p>
<p>"No. Kel-Tec does not offer tours and does not allow customers to shoot at the factory range," the site read. "Special arrangements can sometimes be made for Military, Law enforcement, or Educational purposes only."</p>
<p>Zimmerman belongs to neither a police department, nor a branch of the military.</p>
<p>Also, Kel-Tec happens to manufacture the PF-9, the gun Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin.</p>
<p>Kel-Tec is currently experiencing an "unusually high call volume." We'll update the story if we get in touch with the facility.</p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XwN8jHSEhCE"></iframe></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-at-kel-tech-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/anti-stand-your-ground-psa-reenacts-trayvon-martin-shooting-2013-8This Anti-'Stand Your Ground' PSA Reenacts The Trayvon Martin Shootinghttp://www.businessinsider.com/anti-stand-your-ground-psa-reenacts-trayvon-martin-shooting-2013-8
Tue, 20 Aug 2013 12:16:00 -0400Laura Stampler
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52138f7669bedd763c000008-480-/ad-reenact-trayvon-martin-2.jpg" border="0" alt="ad reenact trayvon martin" width="480" /></p><p>The <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/watch-stand-your-ground-psa-features-full-on-reenactment-of-trayvon-martin-shooting/">Coalition to Stop Gun Violence released a harrowing anti-"Stand Your Ground" PSA</a> that reenacts what the group imagined happened&nbsp;<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/19/trayvon-martin-ad_n_3780041.html">leading to Trayvon Martin's death</a>, complete with the 911 calls from Zimmerman and a witness playing in the background.</p>
<p>Following the sound of gunshots, a camera pans to show not one corpse, but dozens of hoodie-wearing bodies on the ground to represent the 26 states with "Stand Your Ground" laws in place.</p>
<p><a href="http://csgv.org/action/stand-up-to-stand-your-ground/">The anti-gun group's website reads</a>, "<span>Now you can provoke a fight, and if losing that fight, kill the person you attacked."</span></p>
<p>The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUKzDANF6QU">video has been viewed more than 22,000 times in the last day</a>. Comments have been disabled on YouTube. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CoalitiontoStopGunViolence">Facebook commentary has been very mixed</a>, with some people questioning whether the video exploits Martin's death.</p>
<p>Watch the spot below and tell us what you think:</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kUKzDANF6QU"></iframe></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-glass-pay-per-gaze-2013-8" > Why People Need To Stop Obsessing About The Google Glass 'Pay-Per-Gaze' Emotion Tracking Patent</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/anti-stand-your-ground-psa-reenacts-trayvon-martin-shooting-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/john-crafts-alleged-trayvon-martin-facebook-comments-2013-8Federal Prosecutor Allegedly Made Horrifying Facebook Comments Related To Trayvon Martin http://www.businessinsider.com/john-crafts-alleged-trayvon-martin-facebook-comments-2013-8
Wed, 14 Aug 2013 11:09:18 -0400Erin Fuchs
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/520b975069bedde05a000001-480-360/hoodie-trayvon-martin.jpg" border="0" alt="Hoodie Trayvon Martin" width="480" height="360" /></p><p>A veteran U.S. prosecutor in Texas is under fire for allegedly implying on Facebook that Trayvon Martin looked like a criminal, the <a href="http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/U-S-attorney-under-scrutiny-for-Facebook-posts-4730377.php?cmpid=hpbn">Houston Chronicle reports</a>.</p>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney John Craft made the comments on his private Facebook page in response to a status update that supported "stand your ground" laws, according to the Chronicle. Such laws allow people to shoot intruders even if they have the opportunity to run away.</p>
<p>Here's what Craft wrote, according to the Chronicle:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">How are you fixed for Skittles and Arizona watermelon fruitcocktail (and maybe a bottle of Robitussin, too) in your neighborhood? I am fresh out of "purple drank." So, I may come by for a visit. In a rainstorm. In the middle of the night. In a hoodie. Don't get upset or anything if you see me looking in your window ... kay?</p>
<p>The night George Zimmerman shot him, 17-year-old Martin was walking in the rain and wearing a hoodie &mdash; a piece of clothing that's become a symbol for racial profiling. He was also carrying Skittles and an Arizona iced tea.</p>
<p>The Beaumont Enterprise <a href="http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Assistant-U-S-attorney-s-Facebook-posts-probed-4730814.php">reports that Craft had also posted a graphic</a> that said <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; display: inline !important; float: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span>"Obama: Why Stupid People Shouldn't Vote."</span></p>
<p>Craft told the Chronicle the Facebook comments were "not related to the U.S. attorney's office." </p>
<p>It's still deeply troubling that a U.S. attorney would make derogatory comments about a young, black male. He works for the Justice Department, which is in charge of <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/">prosecuting racially motivated murders</a>. (Murder isn't usually a federal crime, but it is if it involves a civil rights violation.)</p>
<p>The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/txe/meetattorney.html">John Malcolm Bales</a>, told the Chronicle that the U.S. attorney's office didn't have a social media policy. He also said federal prosecutors are entitled to their opinions, but he seemed eager to distance himself from Craft's comments.</p>
<p>"We don't think like that," Bales told the Chronicle, referring to the U.S. attorney's office. "We don't act like that."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-dunn-shot-and-killed-jordan-davis-2013-8" >The 'Next Trayvon Martin Case' Could Turn Out Very Differently</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-crafts-alleged-trayvon-martin-facebook-comments-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-dunn-shot-and-killed-jordan-davis-2013-8The 'Next Trayvon Martin Case' Could Turn Out Very Differently http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-dunn-shot-and-killed-jordan-davis-2013-8
Fri, 09 Aug 2013 18:23:00 -0400Christina Sterbenz
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/520508a269bedd281b000008-480-/michael-dunn-and-george-zimmerman.png" border="0" alt="Michael Dunn and George Zimmerman " width="480" /></p><p>In November 2012, an unarmed black 17-year-old's death in Florida looked like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/another-florida-man-kills-a-black-teen-2012-11">Trayvon Martin case all over again</a>.</p>
<p>But unlike George Zimmerman, Jordan Davis' killer might get convicted. There's more evidence in the Davis case, and the police treated his killer like a suspect right away, a Florida legal expert told Business Insider.</p>
<p>While authorities waited weeks to arrest Zimmerman, 46-year-old Michael Dunn ended up in handcuffs the day after he killed Davis in Jacksonville. Dunn says he fired his gun into an SUV with Davis and his friends because they threatened him after he asked them to turn down their music.</p>
<p>Dunn's lawyer said she may use as a defense Florida's <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/stand-your-ground-be-a-man/?_r=0">infamous Stand Your Ground law</a>, which George Zimmerman's lawyers also initially considered invoking in court.</p>
<p>Dunn's case &mdash;<a href="http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/jordan-davis-update-michael-dunn-charged-with-first-degree-murder-trial-scheduled-for-september-23"> which goes to trial on Sept. 23</a> &mdash; has other similarities to Zimmerman's and has even been called "<a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/07/trayvon-martin-jordan-davis-stand-your-ground">Florida's next Trayvon Martin case</a>."</p>
<p>In both cases, an older, non-black man claims self-defense for shooting and killing an unarmed, black 17-year-old who allegedly threatened him. Both men said their actions weren't racially motivated.</p>
<p>"If Trayvon Martin's death ... were not heart breaking enough, now there is Jordan Davis. He is the most recent national news example of a young black male being gunned down because he supposedly acted in a threatening manner," Northwestern University professor Ava Thompson Greenwell wrote for the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ava-thompson-greenwell/jordan-davis-trayvon-martin-threat_b_2263211.html">Huffington Post.</a></p>
<p>Even within the all-too-familiar scenarios, significant differences exist between the cases that could affect how they play out. For one thing, the police did a much better job in the Davis case, University of Florida law professor <a href="http://www.law.ufl.edu/faculty/kenneth-b-nunn">Kenneth Nunn</a> told Business Insider.</p>
<p>"The police did what they didn't do in the Trayvon Martin case. They arrested the perpetrator," Nunn said.</p>
<p>Sanford, Fla. police, however, only charged Zimmerman after pressure from the Department of Justice and President Obama addressed the shooting in a speech. Zimmerman may also have helped his case by remaining at the scene after he shot Martin.</p>
<p>Dunn, on the other hand, left the scene, ate pizza with his girlfriend at a motel, and then returned to Daytona, where he lived, according to <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/07/trayvon-martin-jordan-davis-stand-your-ground">Mother Jones.</a></p>
<p>"There's an inference of guilt when someone flees the scene," Nunn said.</p>
<p>Witnesses will also "definitely" help the case against Dunn, Nunn said. Only Zimmerman and Martin knew exactly what happened the night of the shooting &mdash; and Martin unfortunately died. Even though Dunn fired eight or nine shots into the car, according to <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CC0QFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Farticles.orlandosentinel.com%2F2012-11-27%2Fnews%2Fos-teen-shot-dead-loud-music-20121126_1_gun-collector-argument-over-loud-music-michael-dunn&amp;ei=Q3r5UYDcHLTI4APv8IGAAw&amp;usg=AFQjCNGRVh7fzCy_QLv5WlsOeAAduJZCUw&amp;sig2=KlyUaCvvnTUup4QrSXQ4-Q&amp;bvm=bv.49967636,d.dmg">Orlando Sentinel,</a> everyone else survived. Davis' three friends in the car that day will likely testify in court.</p>
<p>The stakes are also higher in the Davis case. While prosecutors charged Zimmerman with second-degree murder, Dunn landed the more serious charge of first-degree murder.</p>
<p>Dunn's attorney, Robin Lemonidis, rejected comparisons between the two cases and even suggested the public should have more sympathy for her client. She told <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/28/us/florida-music-shooting">CNN</a> that her client isn't a "vigilante," a word anti-Zimmerman groups brought to the table.</p>
<p>"There are no similarities to the Trayvon Martin case. He [Dunn] is horrified and devastated by the death of the teen," she said.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-dunn-shot-and-killed-jordan-davis-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/dwyane-wade-sons-pose-trayvon-ebony-cover-photo-2013-8Dwyane Wade And His Sons Pose In A Trayvon Martin Cover For Ebony Magazinehttp://www.businessinsider.com/dwyane-wade-sons-pose-trayvon-ebony-cover-photo-2013-8
Wed, 07 Aug 2013 08:45:00 -0400Tony Manfred
<p>Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade is on the cover of Ebony magazine this month in support of Trayvon Martin.</p>
<p>Wade has written a book about being a dad, and previously posed with his teammates to honor Trayvon shortly after he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman.</p>
<p>Spike Lee and actor-model Boris Kodjoe also posed for covers with their sons.</p>
<p>The Wade cover:</p>
<p><iframe width="612" height="710" frameborder="0" src="//instagram.com/p/crgyG5g-M1/embed/"></iframe></p>
<p>The Spike Lee one:</p>
<p><iframe width="612" height="710" frameborder="0" src="//instagram.com/p/crhX_Dg-N7/embed/"></iframe></p>
<p>The Heat Trayvon photo from last year:</p>
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/4f6cb5af6bb3f78c7c000007-800-/lebron-heat-trayvon-martin.jpg" border="0" alt="lebron james trayvon martin hoodies tweet" width="800" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dwyane-wade-sons-pose-trayvon-ebony-cover-photo-2013-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/william-thompson-invokes-trayvon-martin-2013-7New York's Only Black Mayoral Candidate Compares An NYPD Policy To George Zimmermanhttp://www.businessinsider.com/william-thompson-invokes-trayvon-martin-2013-7
Mon, 29 Jul 2013 13:17:00 -0400Erin Fuchs
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51f69a1a69bedd182000001b-480-360/william-thompson-1.jpg" border="0" alt="William Thompson" width="480" height="360" /></p><p>In the crowded contest to become mayor of New York, a candidate who's not Anthony Weiner or Christine Quinn managed to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/nyregion/thompson-likens-police-stops-to-suspicions-that-killed-trayvon-martin.html?_r=0">grab headlines in The New York Times</a> for attacking the city's controversial stop-and-frisk policy.</p>
<p>Ex-comptroller Bill Thompson &mdash; the only black mayoral candidate &mdash; said Sunday the NYPD's policy of searching &ldquo;suspicious&rdquo; men reflected the same attitude George Zimmerman had when he followed Trayvon Martin.</p>
<p>New York's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_stop-and-frisk_program">stop-and-frisk policy</a> stems from a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_v._Ohio">1968 Supreme Court decision</a> that says police can stop people on the street if they have a &ldquo;reasonable suspicion&rdquo; they're about to commit a crime. The majority of people who get stopped in New York are black or Hispanic, and critics say the policy amounts to racial profiling.</p>
<p>Thompson, whom The Times says rarely comments on race, had sharp words about stop-and-frisk at a storefront church in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn on Sunday.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Here in New York City, we have institutionalized Mr. Zimmerman&rsquo;s suspicion with a policy that all but requires our police officers to treat young black and Latino men with suspicion, to stop them and frisk them because of the color of their skin,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>In a campaign where a serial lewd texter has grabbed much of the spotlight, Thompson's comparison of stop-and-frisk and George Zimmerman impressed several New Yorkers who heard him.</p>
<p>&ldquo;He would get my vote based on the passion in his speech today,&rdquo; 33-year-old Khalid Douglas told The Times. &ldquo;It improved my opinion of him.&rdquo;</p>
<p>News of Thompson's speech came the same day The Times' Bill Keller questioned whether black politicians &mdash; Obama in particular &mdash; had a responsibility <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/opinion/keller-profiling-obama.html?ref=opinion">to weigh in on race issues</a>. He suggested that white politicians should be talking about race, too.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Wouldn&rsquo;t you like to hear John Boehner or Mitch McConnell or Chris Christie or Rick Perry own up as candidly as the president has to the corrosive vestiges of racism in our society?&rdquo; Keller wrote. &ldquo;Now<em> that </em>might be an occasion to turn cartwheels.&rdquo;</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/william-thompson-invokes-trayvon-martin-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-juror-maddy-on-abc-news-2013-7JUROR: George Zimmerman 'Got Away With Murder' And Trial Was 'A Publicity Stunt'http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-juror-maddy-on-abc-news-2013-7
Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:41:00 -0400Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51f17039eab8ea9b23000010-480-/george-zimmerman-24.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman" width="480" /></p><p>Another juror from the George Zimmerman trial is coming forward with her story, and she <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-juror-murder/story?id=19770659">told</a> ABC News that Zimmerman "got away with murder" and that she wants to apologize to Trayvon Martin's parents.</p>
<p>She was the only minority on the all-female jury that acquitted Zimmerman on second-degree murder charges for the shooting death of Martin, a Florida teenager who was shot while walking home from the store.</p>
<p><span>"You can't put the man in jail even though in our hearts we felt he was guilty," said the woman, known as Juror B29. "But we had to grab our hearts and put it aside and look at the evidence."</span></p>
<p><span>She said she initially wanted to convict Zimmerman of second-degree murder.</span></p>
<p><span>"<span>I was the juror that was going to give them the hung jury," she said. "I fought to the end."</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Maddy also called the case "a publicity stunt" and said it never should have gone to trial. She said Florida law is clear: "<span>if you have no proof that he killed him intentionally, you can't say he's guilty," she told ABC.</span></span></span></p>
<p>The full ABC interview will air Friday at 7 a.m. on Good Morning America. The juror, who is only going by her first name, "Maddy," is the second to come forward after the trial, but the first to show her face on television. She is a 36-year-old Puerto Rican nursing assistant and mother to 8 children.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Another anonymous juror, known as B37,&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-juror-on-racial-profiling-2013-7">spoke to the media</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> earlier this month and </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-juror-announces-plans-to-write-a-book-2013-7">announced plans to write a book</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> about the trial. She </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zimmerman-juror-drops-book-pla-2013-7">later dropped that plan</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, announced about 48 hours after the verdict came down, amid heavy criticism.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Maddy echoed Juror B37's statements that the case was never about race.</span></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-craziest-moments-of-the-george-zimmerman-trial-2013-7" >The Craziest Moments Of The George Zimmerman Trial</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-juror-maddy-on-abc-news-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmermann-gets-death-threats-2013-7George Zimmermann Inundated With Death Threats After George Zimmerman Verdicthttp://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmermann-gets-death-threats-2013-7
Wed, 24 Jul 2013 11:23:00 -0400Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51efee2969bedde547000007-480-/george-zimmermann-florida.png" border="0" alt="George Zimmermann Florida" width="480" /></p><p>A Florida preacher named George Zimmermann <a href="http://www.kplctv.com/story/22916187/the-other-not-so-happy-george-zimmermann">has been getting death threats</a> from people who apparently aren't very good at spelling, KPLCTV reports.</p>
<p>The 78-year-old's name closely resembles that of George Zimmerman, who was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7">recently acquitted of second-degree murder</a> for the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.</p>
<p>Zimmermann said the calls started the night the verdict came down.</p>
<p>"[They say] if you go out, you're going to be dead. If you do this, you're going to be dead, if you do that ... and I'm just tired of getting these calls," Zimmermann <a href="http://www.clickorlando.com/news/78yearold-volusia-county-man-gets-death-threats-over-george-zimmerman-trial/-/1637132/21100230/-/14cvka9z/-/index.html">told</a> Orlando news station WKMG. "I don't know what to do about it."</p>
<p>He said he called 911 and has since changed his phone number.</p>
<p>Zimmermann isn't the only one getting death threats intended for the Florida killer.</p>
<p>F<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">lorida woman&nbsp;Lori Tankel, whose phone number is one digit off from Zimmerman's, <a href="http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/winter-park-woman-getting-zimmerman-death-threats/nYxZj/">said she's gotten nearly 100 threatening phone calls</a> since the verdict. Someone apparently posted her phone number online thinking it was Zimmerman's.</span></p>
<p>She called police about the threats, but said they haven't been much help.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">"</span>They said they were averaging 400 death threats per minute on social media sites, so what I was getting was just a drop in the bucket," she told WFTV.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-craziest-moments-of-the-george-zimmerman-trial-2013-7" >The Craziest Moments Of The George Zimmerman Trial</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmermann-gets-death-threats-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/man-arrested-for-george-zimmerman-facebook-post-2013-7Guy Arrested For Facebook Post About The George Zimmerman Verdicthttp://www.businessinsider.com/man-arrested-for-george-zimmerman-facebook-post-2013-7
Mon, 22 Jul 2013 18:40:00 -0400Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51db282d69bedd7f2a000005-480-360/george-zimmerman-10.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman" width="480" height="360" /></p><p>New York police have arrested a 20-year-old Queens man for allegedly making threats on Facebook after the George Zimmerman <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7">"not guilty" verdict</a> came down last week.</p>
<p>It's the latest in a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/people-arrested-for-facebook-posts-2013-7?op=1">growing trend</a> of police arresting people for what they post on Facebook.</p>
<p>After Zimmerman was acquitted on second-degree murder charges for the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, Remel Newson allegedly posted a Facebook status saying&nbsp;"let's kill cops [and] neighborhood watcher" with the hashtag #killallwhites, WNYC <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2013/jul/22/nypd-arrests-queens-man-facebook-posts-after-zimmerman-verdict/">reports</a>. Police arrested him for making a "terroristic threat" and say they found marijuana during during a search of his room.</p>
<p>His attorney says Newson copied and pasted someone else's message and that he was "in no way was trying to intimidate anyone or coerce anyone into doing any illegal act."</p>
<p>Gothamist has <a href="http://gothamist.com/2013/07/22/man_posts_drake_lyrics_on_facebook.php">posted the full text</a> of Newson's status update&nbsp;for those interested in reading it (NSFW).</p>
<p>Newson admitted to police that "he f---ed up" and said that his comment was just a "stupid complaint," according to a criminal complaint cited by Gothamist.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/man-arrested-for-george-zimmerman-facebook-post-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-rescues-somebody-from-truck-2013-7George Zimmerman Rescued A Family Of 4 From An Overturned Truckhttp://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-rescues-somebody-from-truck-2013-7
Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:57:00 -0400Pamela Engel
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51e3f70eeab8ea7f61000000-480-/george-zimmerman-not-guilty-verdict.jpg" border="0" alt="George Zimmerman not guilty verdict" width="480" /></p><p>George Zimmerman briefly emerged from hiding last week to pull people out of an overturned truck on a Florida highway, ABC News <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-emerged-hiding-truck-crash-rescue/story?id=19735432">reports</a>.</p>
<p>Zimmerman and another man reportedly helped a family of four, including two children, out of the overturned SUV before police arrived, <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffWeinerOS/status/359364836645273601">according to</a> the Orlando Sentinel.</p>
<p>The SUV's occupants <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffWeinerOS/status/359365177818361857">weren't injured</a>, and Zimmerman apparently did not witness the crash.</p>
<p>It was the first time Zimmerman was seen in public <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7">after his acquittal</a> on second-degree murder charges for the shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. His lawyers say that he now wears a bullet proof vest when he goes out in public, according to ABC.</p>
<p>The "not guilty" verdict spawned <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zimmerman-protests-turn-violent-in-los-angeles-2013-7">violent protests</a> across the country, and Zimmerman has received many death threats.</p>
<p>Details about the rescue are scarce, but police confirmed the news today. The Florida Highway Patrol is now handling the case. The truck had apparently rolled over in a crash at the intersection of a Florida highway.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/george-zimmerman-rescues-somebody-from-truck-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-scarborough-sean-hannity-obama-trayvon-martin-race-2013-7JOE SCARBOROUGH: Sean Hannity Has Been Using The Trayvon Martin Case To 'Gin Up His Ratings'http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-scarborough-sean-hannity-obama-trayvon-martin-race-2013-7
Mon, 22 Jul 2013 09:32:00 -0400Brett LoGiurato
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51ed331decad043a1b000000-480-/joe-scarborough-sean-hannity.png" border="0" alt="Joe Scarborough Sean Hannity" width="480" /></p><p>MSNBC's Joe Scarborough blasted Fox News' Sean Hannity on Monday, saying he was using the case involving the death of Trayvon Martin to "gin up his ratings."</p>
<p>On his radio show Friday, Hannity reacted to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-trayvon-martin-zimmerman-verdict-2013-7" target="_blank">President Barack Obama's impromptu address on the subject Friday</a>&nbsp;by wondering if Obama was admitting that both he and Martin "smoked pot and did a little blow" in comparing himself to the slain teenager.</p>
<p>Scarborough ripped Hannity and others in the media for their reaction to the verdict.</p>
<p><span>"I keep hearing this from people like Sean Hannity and others on the right. Really? Would we like to go across college campuses in America and tell all white boys that if they have marijuana in their system then they are fair game?" Scarborough said.</span></p>
<p>Scarborough said that some of the other opinions coming out of the case &mdash; <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/richard-cohen-trayvon-martin-column-washington-post-wapo-2013-7" target="_blank">a Washington Post column by Richard Cohen</a>&nbsp;and some in the Wall Street Journal &mdash; were "depressing" in backing&nbsp;up George Zimmerman's actions.</p>
<p>"There's this unexplained leap to justify George Zimmerman's actions of walking through a suburban neighborhood &mdash; armed &mdash; chasing down a black man," Scarborough said. "... It seems, and what's depressing is, this isn't confined to the far-right talk-show radio hosts.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"Sean Hannity has been ginning this up so badly that Michael Savage &mdash;&nbsp;<em>Michael Savage &mdash;&nbsp;</em>has been saying that he's irresponsible and that he's using race to gin up ratings in a way that's bad for America. That's how extreme Sean Hannity's position has been."&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here's the clip, via MSNBC:</p>
<p><object id="msnbc45a8b3" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0" width="592" height="346"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=52541063^743514^1111727&amp;width=592&amp;height=346" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbc45a8b3" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="592" height="346" flashvars="launch=52541063^743514^1111727&amp;width=592&amp;height=346" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" /></object></p>
<p style="font-size: 11px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 592px;">Visit NBCNews.com for <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072">news about the economy</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-scarborough-sean-hannity-obama-trayvon-martin-race-2013-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>